Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recently proclaimed October as Arkansas Farm to School Month. During the official ceremony, the Governor also took time to honor school garden and celebrate the 2018 Arkansas School Garden of the Year. Find out why "Farm to School" is so important in Arkansas.
Three years ago Sheridan Intermediate School partnered with the Grant County Cooperative Extension Service and other organizations to develop a school garden. The students recently harvested sweet potatoes they planted last spring and now the school has been recognized as having the state’s “Best School Garden” by the Arkansas Agriculture Department and Farm Credit.
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall visited Arkansas to tour some farms and speak at the Woodruff County Farm Bureau annual meeting. He took time during his trip to discuss some of the issues facing America’s farmers and ranchers and how Farm Bureau is advocating for the best solutions for American agriculture’s challenges.
Damon and Jana Helton of Saline County raise grass-fed beef, forested hogs and pastured broilers. They've also opened the Olde Crow General Store, where they sell what they've raised, along with other fresh, local items and deli sandwiches. For Damon, the Olde Crow is about connecting his farm to his community.
Earl Pepper, who turns 75 later this year, can't recall a time when he wasn't around horses. Raised in Alabama, he now lives near DeQueen, where he tends cattle on horseback. Pepper has a love and respect for horses and, in this edition of Arkansas Agcast, he shares his story and explains why he believes horses are an important part of our culture and heritage.
This week students at Sheridan Intermediate School harvested sweet potatoes they planted last spring, just in time for the holidays and Farm to School Month. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Grant County Cooperative Extension Service staff chair Brad McGinley and his wife Serena, a science teacher at the school, discuss the importance of the garden to students and the community.
October is National Farm-to-School Month! Luke and Deedee Alston of Polk County are part of the "farm-to-school" movement in Arkansas. The Alstons – the 2017 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year – provide fresh vegetables and produce from their Holly Springs Homestead to the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Community College in Mena.
The 2014 Farm Bill expires September 30, meaning the deadline for Congress to approve a new Farm Bill is this Sunday. Farmers and ranchers need the certainty and protection the new Farm Bill will provide and a House-Senate Conference Committee has been meeting for weeks to reach a compromise, but so far no agreement has been struck. Hear what ArFB's Matt King has to say about what will happen if a deal isn't reached.
Earl Pepper of De Queen calls himself a "modern day cowboy." He spends his days working with horses and cattle and he wouldn't have it any other way. Learn more about Earl in our latest video feature.
